Search

Objective To acquire three-dimensional intraosseous artery of the talus in order to interpretthe prognosis of talus fractures. Methods Lower extremities of twelve fresh corpses were acquired. The femoralarteries in the femoral triangle were cannulated and manually perfused with lead-based contrast agent. Everyharvested talus was scanned using a microCT scanner (Inveon, Siemens Ltd., USA). The 3D high-accuracymodels of the talus were generated at 52.30 μm. The distribution and pattern of arteries in each section wereobtained and the intraosseous branches were counted. Results The numerous extraosseous arteries were mainly running in the articular capsules and ligaments around the talus. We identified four vascular zoneson the talus surface including tarsal canal-tarsal sinus, superior talus neck, medial talus body and posteriortubercle. A vessel ring around the talus neck was formed by the anastomosing of the extraosseous vessels inthe tarsal canal-tarsal sinus and on the superior talus neck (the number of intraosseous branches are 5.1±1.3and 5.6±1.9), which was the primary blood supply of the talus. The intraosseous branches of the ring weredistributed in the talus head, talus neck and most of the talus body with abundant anastomoses. Besides fromthe ring, the talus body also received intraosseous blood supply from medial talus body (3.2±1.4 intraosseousbranches) and posterior tubercle (0.7±0.5 intraosseous branches). Conclusion A severer destruction of theintraosseous branches of vascular ring resulting from talus neck fracture would pose a higher risk of talusavascular necrosis. As for talus body, the sagittal fracture and comminuted fracture caused relatively moredamage to the intraosseous branches of vascular ring, thus leading to an increased potential of avascularnecrosis. The osteonecrosis due to talar head fractures is rare because of the rich blood supply of talar head.

Background Based on the commonly used local cerebral ischemia models, such as clot embolization, photochemically induced thrombosis and sludged blood embolization, a new model of local cerebral ischemia in mice was popularized. Methods The model of distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (dMCAO) was prepared by permanently blocking the distal middle cerebral artery (MCA) of mice. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was monitored by real -- time laser speckle contrast imaging system. Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and HE staining were used to detect ischemic infarcts. Clark classification was used to evaluate neurological function. Results Laser speckle contrast imaging system showed CBF decreased significantly after ablation of MCA by electrocoagulation. TTC staining showed that the ischemic region was only located in cerebral cortex, and no obvious damage was found in subependymal basal ganglia and hippocampus. HE staining showed that most nerve cells died in the ischemic region, and there was obvious cell density around the ischemic region, which was considered to be inflammatory cells and various nerve cells. One, 3, 7 and 14 d after model preparation, the mice weighed 22, 20.70, 19.50 and 20.10 g, respectively. Body symmetry scores in Clark classification were 0.75, 0.75, 0.50 and 0.50, respectively; gait scores were 0, climbing scores were 0, turning test scores were 0.50, 0.75, 0.50 and 0.25, forearm symmetry scores were 0.25, forced turning scores were 0, beard reactivity scores were 1, 1, 1 and 0.50 respectively. Conclusions The improved new model of dMCAO can simulate local cerebral ischemia with minor neurological defect, and can be used as an experimental model to study the pathophysiological changes and repair process of the vessels after nerve injury as well as the nerve cells involved in the repair process after nerve injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transumbilical single-site laparoscopic surgery for congenital duodenal obstruction (CDO) in neonates., Methods: A retrospective analysis of clinical data of 15 patients with CDO undergoing transumbilical single-site laparoscopic treatment during November 2017 and January 2018 (single-site group), and 20 patients with CDO undergoing conventional three-hole laparoscopic treatment during August 2017 and October 2017 (three-hole group) was performed. All patients were from the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. The operation time, time of initial feeding, time of adequate feeding, length of hospital stay after operation and postoperative complications were compared between two groups., Results: The operations were completed in all patients. No patient converted to laparotomy, and no massive hemorrhage was observed during operation. The operation time of single-site group was (90±10) min for patients with duodenal diamond-shaped anastomosis and (81±15) min for patients with Ladd operation, while those of three-hole group were (85±9) min and (72±11) min, respectively. Postoperative initial feeding time of single-site group was (5.0±1.0) d, and that of the three-hole group was (4.8±0.8) d. The adequate feeding time was (9.0±1.2) d in the single-site group, and (9.3±0.8) d in the three-hole group. The length of hospital stay after operation was (11.2±2.5) d in the single-site group, and (11.5±2.8) d in the three-hole group. There was no significant difference in operation time, postoperative initial feeding time, adequate feeding time and length of hospital stay after operation between two groups (all P >0.05)., Conclusions: Transumbilical single-site laparoscopic surgery for CDO in neonates is safe and effective, and the postoperative abdominal scar is more hidden.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of sintering temperature on mechanical properties of dental zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) ceramics prepared by gel-casting technique., Methods: The samples prepared by gel-casting were sintered at 1100, 1200, 1250, 1300 and 1400degrees centigrade for each group. The flexural strength, fracture toughness, Vickers hardness and brittleness index were obtained and microscopic morphology of each group was observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM). The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 19.0 software package., Results: The flexural strength, fracture toughness and Vickers hardness increased with the increasing sintering temperature during 1100~1400degrees centigrade. The lowest brittleness index (0.74±0.16) μm -1/2 was observed in group sintered at 1200degrees centigrade and the highest (2.76±0.14) μm -1/2 was at 1400degrees centigrade (P<0.05), while the flexural strength of these two groups was (46.89±3.24) MPa and (349.64±54.72) MPa, respectively., Conclusions: The ZTA dental ceramics exhibit good machinability with proper sintering temperature (1200degrees centigrade) and the strength meets the requirement of clinical application.

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the optical properties of p-type ZnO film based on P doping. ZnO film was grown by Atomic layer deposition (ALD) on InP subsrate in this experiment, and phosphorus diffused into ZnO lattice by annealing treatment at different temperature (500, 700 ⁰C). The optical properties of samples were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, which indicated that the annealing temperature is the important factor influencing the phosphorus diffusion doping. The low-temperature PL spectra of the sample which annealed at 700 ⁰C for 1 h exhibited acceptor related emission peaks located at 3.351, 3.311, 3.246 and 3.177 eV, which were attributed to A ⁰X, FA, DAP and DA-1LO, respectively. The acceptor binding energy is estimated to be about 122 meV, which is agreed with the theoretic values in phosphorus-doped ZnO films. In this paper, through thermal diffusion method to realize the p-type doped ZnO thin films, it solved the main problems which limited the development of ZnO based optoelectronic devices, and has an important significance for the development of the ZnO semiconductor materials and ZnO based photoelectric device.

In the present paper, Mg(x)Zn(1-x)O nanofibers with different doping concentration were prepared by atom layer deposition (ALD) using polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers as template, which were synthesized by electrospinning. The influence of different Mg doping concentration on the structure and optical properties of composite nanofibers was investigated. The samples were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The doping of Mg did not change the morphologies of ZnO nanofibers, the morphologies of all the samples were very similar while the diameter of Mg(x)Zn(1-x)O-PVP composite nanofibers became larger after doping. With the increase in the Mg doping concentration, the absorption edge shifted to larger energy side, revealing the band gap tenability of Mg(x)Zn(1-x)O nanofibers. Meanwhile, a significant blue shift of the UV emission peak from 377 to 362 nm was observed in PL spectra. Compared with ZnO-PVP composite nanofibers, the UV emission intensity of Mg(x)Zn(1-x)O-PVP composite nanofibers was much stronger. Component control Mg(x)Zn(1-x)O nanofibers can be synthesized by this method. The doping of Mg elements in ZnO can effectively improve the band gap of ZnO-PVP nanofibers and the intensity of UV emission.

In the present paper, MgxZn1-xO and MgxZn1-xO/Au/MgxZn1-xO multilayer structures of transparent conductive film were prepared by the simple operation of sol-gel and RF magnetron sputtering method on quartz substrate respectively and then they were annealed. The surface, electrical, crystal and optical properties of the films at different annealing temperature were determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and Hall effect, respectively. The influence of annealing temperature on the films was also investigated. The testing results indicated that the films with good c-axis orientation presented hexagonal wurtzite structure. With increasing Mg components, the optical band gap of ZnO thin film increased gradually. There was an obvious blue shift phenomenon in PL spectrum and absorption spectrum line. But the electrical properties of the films declined. In MgxZn1-xO/Au/MgxZn1-xO multilayer structure of thin film samples, the existence of Au interlining led to the poor optical properties of thin film, and the light transmittance in the ultraviolet region was 60%. Compared with MgxZn1-xO film, the electrical properties of MgxZn1-xO/Au/MgxZn1-xO multilayer structure of transparent conductive film were improved, the resistivity and migration rate were significantly increased. In addition, high temperature annealing treatment could effectively improve the crystal quality of thin film and further improve the electrical characteristics of the samples. After the annealing treatment at 500 °C, migration rate of the film reached to 40.9 cm2 · 1 Vs(-1) while the resistivity was 0.0057 Ω · cm. Due to the rising of temperature, the crystal size increased from 25.1 to 32.4 nm to reduce the mobility of the film. Therefore, MgxZn1-xO/Au/MgxZn1-xO multilayer structure of transparent conductive film played an important role in promoting the ZnO transparent conductive film application in deep ultraviolet devices.

In the present paper, we report the research on the effects of annealing temperature on the crystal quality and optical properties of ZnMgO films deposited by atom layer deposition(ALD). ZnMgO films were prepared on quartz substrates by ALD and then some of the samples were treated in air ambient at different annealing temperature. The effects of annealing temperature on the crystal quality and optical properties of ZnMgO films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectra. The XRD results showed that the crystal quality of ZnMgO films was significantly improved when the annealing temperature was 600 degrees C, meanwhile the intensity of(100) diffraction peak was the strongest. Combination of PL and UV-Vis absorption measurements showed that it can strongly promote the Mg content increasing in ZnMgO films and increase the band gap of films. So the results illustrate that suitable annealing temperature can effectively improve the crystal quality and optical properties of ZnMgO films.

Objective: To explore the probable function of peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) in rheumatoid arthritis(RA)., Methods: Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to determine the expression of PAD4 mRNA in peripheral blood mononucleated cells (PBMCs) from 60 RA patients and 40 healthy individuals. Asymmetric di-methylation of histone H3R17, symmetric di-methylation and mono-methylation of H4R3 were semi-quantified by Western blotting in 12 patients with osteoarthritis (OA), 26 patients with RA and 10 healthy controls., Results: PAD4 mRNA in RA was significantly higher than that in healthy controls[34.6(16.7, 70.8) vs 20.6(11.1, 51.8), P < 0.05]. The level of histone H3R17 asymmetric di-methylation in RA was significantly higher than that of OA or control groups (71.34 ± 25.65 vs 37.18 ± 18.62 vs 50.67 ± 13.99, P < 0.01) , which was positively related to Tender joint count and Swollen joint count in 28 joints (r = 0.418, P = 0.034;r = 0.402, P = 0.042). The level of histone H4R3 symmetric di-methylation was similar in RA,OA and control groups (75.02 ± 20.35 vs 57.92 ± 22.77 vs 68.37 ± 17.57, P > 0.05) . The level of histone H4R3 mono-methylation in RA patients was significantly lower than that of OA patients and healthy individuals (11.24 ± 7.81 vs 32.77 ± 30.77 vs 51.20 ± 47.14, P < 0.05). The level of histone H4R3 mono-methylation in RA patients was negatively correlated to PAD4 (r = -0.643, P < 0.01) . The level of histone H3R17 asymmetric di-methylation and H4R3 symmetric di-methylation was not associated with PAD4 level in RA group (r = -0.185, P = 0.377; r = 0.198, P = 0.344)., Conclusions: The level of histone H3R17 asymmetric di-methylation is significantly higher and the level of histone H4R3 mono-methylation is significantly lower in RA patients comparing with OA and control groups. Abnormality of histone methylation may be one of the mechanisms for the development of RA. PAD4 probably plays an important role in rheumatoid arthritis by influencing histone methylation.

Objective: To explore the effects of transcription factor ETS-1 mRNA and B lymphocyte-associated cytokines on the differentiation of B cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and explore its pathogenic and clinical significance., Methods: Thirty-one SLE patients (20 active and 11 inactive) and 15 healthy controls were enrolled. CD19+ B cells were isolated with magnetic beads. The levels of ETS-1 mRNA in B cells were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Flow cytometry was used to detect the altered ratio of CD19-CD138 + plasma cells and CD19 + B cells. And enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the serum levels of B cell differentiation-related cytokines interleukin-10 (IL-10) and APRIL., Results: Compared to the healthy controls, SLE patients showed decreased mRNA expression level of ETS-1 in B cells (Z = -4.218, P < 0.01) . Moreover, the expression level of ETS-1 mRNA was significantly negatively correlated with the proportion of CD19-CD138+ plasma cells (r = -0.359, P < 0.05) and negatively correlated with the CD19-CD138 +B cells/CD19+ plasma cells ratio (r = -0.493, P < 0.01) . However, there was no correlation in normal controls. Significant negative correlation existed between the expression level of ETS-1 mRNA in B cells and the serum levels of IL-10 and APRIL in active SLE patients. But no correlation existed in inactive group., Conclusion: ETS-1 may participate in the pathogenesis of SLE through its effects on the differentiation of B cells and cooperation with IL-10 and APRIL.

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of bone metastasis in gastric cancer patients., Methods: Clinicopathological data of 66 gastric cancer patients with bone metastasis, who were treated at the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from October 1997 to September 2011, were analyzed retrospectively. The clinicopathological characteristics of the primary cancer and bone metastasis were summarized and the prognosis was analyzed., Results: Of 66 patients, 4 underwent operation, 28 chemotherapy, 32 inhibitors of bone resorption,8 local treatment and 23 symptomatic treatment alone. The median survival time of these 66 patients was 5 months (95%CI:3.3-6.7 months). The 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates were 9.1%, 3.0% and 1.5%, respectively. Univariate Log-rank test indicated that gender, bone metastasis combined with other distant metastasis and chemotherapy were significant prognostic factors (all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed bone metastasis combined with other distant metastasis was an independent prognostic factor (P=0.011, RR=2.067, 95%CI:1.178-3.626)., Conclusions: Prognosis of patients with bone metastasis from gastric cancer is poor. Chemotherapy-based comprehensive treatment may improve the prognosis of these patients.

Objective: To explore the prognostic factors and to compare chemotherapy alone versus surgical resection plus chemotherapy for early stage primary gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL)., Methods: Clinical data of 75 patients who were diagnosed as primary gastric DLBCL between January 1993 and August 2008 in Cancer Institute and Hospital of Tianjin Medical University were reviewed retrospectively., Results: Among these 75 patients, 20 patients received chemotherapy alone and 55 underwent surgical resection plus chemotherapy. Complete remission rates were 65.0% (13/20) and 83.6% (46/55), effective rates were 75.0% (15/20) and 92.7% (51/55), and 5-year survival rates were 86.9% and 78.7% respectively in chemotherapy alone group and resection plus chemotherapy group, while the differences were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). Multivariate Cox regression model showed that international prognosis index (IPI) was the only independent prognostic factor (P<0.05, HR=11.350, 95%CI:1.011-127.371)., Conclusions: In early stage of DLBCL, IPI is the only independent prognostic factor. The clinical outcomes are comparable between chemotherapy alone and surgical resection plus chemotherapy.

Objective: To explore the risk factors for early recurrence (recurrence within 2 years) of proximal gastric cancer after radical resection., Methods: The clinical data of 367 proximal gastric cancer patients who underwent radical resection in the Cancer Institute and Hospital of Tianjin Medical University between January 2000 and May 2006 were reviewed. Among them, there are 71 patients (19.3%) with early recurrence. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were applied to investigate risk factors for early recurrence., Results: Univariate analysis showed that Borrmann type (P<0.01), histology type (P<0.01), depth of invasion (P<0.05), negative lymph nodes count (P<0.05) were risk factors for early recurrence of proximal gastric. On multivariate analysis, histology type (P<0.05), depth of invasion (P<0.05), negative lymph nodes counts (P<0.05) were independent risk factors for early recurrence of proximal gastric cancer. Negative lymph nodes in early recurrence patients were 8.4 ± 7.2, which were significantly less as compared to patients without early recurrence (10.7 ± 8.7) (P<0.05)., Conclusion: For T3 proximal gastric adenosquamous cancer, extended resection and lymphadenectomy should be considered. Intraoperative or postoperative adjuvant treatment should be administered as routine.

Objective: To explore the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of primary gastric lymphoma (PGL)., Methods: The clinical data of 204 patients with PGL was reviewed and analyzed. There were 106 males and 98 females, their age were 19 to 85 years (average age was 53.7 years). The Focal areas included gastric fundus lesions 41 cases (20.1%), stomach body lesions 127 cases (62.3%), distal gastric lesions 105 cases (51.5%), cardia lesions 13 cases (6.4%), duodenal bulb lesion 1 cases (0.5%). The clinical characteristics and the outcomes in patients with influence were analysed., Results: In 204 PGL patients, the most common complaints were abdominal pain (62.3%) and weight loss (52.9%). Most of the PGL patients appeared ulcerative (76.0%) and results showed that 62.7% patients involved single location. As to the factors of cellulate grading and pathological characteristics, most patients (87.7%) show low-grade or intermediate-grade lymphoma, Musshoff stages I and II (74.0%). In 186 patients with complete follow-up data, survival rates of 1-, 3- and 5-year were 75.8%, 63.4% and 60.2% respectively. The median overall survival time was 50.0 months. In univariate survival analysis, age (χ(2) = 5.030), level of LDH (χ(2) = 40.084), cellulate grading (χ(2) = 35.238), Musshoff stage (χ(2) = 71.601), tumor diameter (χ(2) = 12.018) and option of managements (χ(2) = 14.140) were obviously correlated with the prognosis (all P < 0.05). Musshoff stage (RR = 2.230, 95%CI: 1.372 - 3.625) and cellulate grading (RR = 1.892, 95%CI: 1.010 - 3.543) were independent prognostic factors in multivariable analysis (both P < 0.05). There was no prognostic difference between surgery and chemotherapy in stage I and II (χ(2) = 1.223, P = 0.542)., Conclusions: Musshoff stage and grade malignancy are independent prognostic factors. For patients with stage I and II, surgical resection is not the first-choice for clinical therapy.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of uncut Roux-en-Y reconstruction after distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer., Methods: Clinical data of 419 patients who underwent distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer with complete follow-up data between March 2005 and March 2008 in the Cancer Institute and Hospital of Tianjin Medical University. Patients were divided into B I (138 cases with Billroth I reconstruction), M-B II (108 cases with modified Billroth II reconstruction), RY (46 cases with Roux-en-Y reconstruction) and Uncut RY (127 cases with uncut Roux-en-Y reconstruction) according to reconstructive methods., Results: Patients in the Uncut RY group had a larger tumor diameter, more T3, and poorer stage of disease compared to those in the B I (P<0.05). In Uncut RY group, the operative time and postoperative hospital stay were(132.6±19.2) minutes and (10.4±1.2) days respectively, shorter than those in RY group (142.5±11.7) minutes and (12.1±3.7) days(both P<0.05), alkaline reflex gastritis rate was 3.2%, lower than that in B I group (24.6%, P<0.05) and M-B II group (25.9%, P<0.05). Marginal ulcer rate in uncut RY group was lower compared to M-B II group (P=0.019), and incidence of Roux-en-Y stasis syndrome was less compared to RY group (P=0.000)., Conclusions: The uncut Roux-en-Y reconstruction is both feasible and safe. It can prevent alkaline reflex gastritis and Roux-en-Y stasis syndrome. It may be the preferred technique for reconstruction after distal gastrectomy.

Objective: To explore the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of gastric stump cancer(GSC)., Methods: The clinical data of 138 patients with GSC treated from January 1992 to July 2008 were reviewed and analyzed. The patients included 122 males and 16 females with a mean age of 61.5 years, and the mean interval between the initial operation and second diagnosis was 21.9 years., Results: The endoscopy and pathological examination showed Borrmann III/IV in 127 (92.7%) patients and undifferentiated carcinoma in 115 (83.3%) patients. The resectability and radical resectability rate were 72.4% and 59.4%. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates was 59.2%, 30.1% and 14.2%, respectively. The median overall survival time was 19.4 months. Univariate Log-rank test indicated that Borrmann type, histological type, tumor diameter, TNM stage, depth of invasion, number of metastatic lymph node, distant metastasis and option of treatment were significant prognostic factors for GSC. While TNM stage, depth of invasion, distant metastasis and option of treatment were prognostic factors on multivariable analysis. The median survival time of patients underwent radical resection was significantly longer (36 months) than that of patients received palliative resection (8 months, P < 0.05) and chemotherapy only (5 months, P < 0.05). Among patients with a tumor of T4 stage, the median survival time was statistically prolonged by combined evisceration (18.6 months) when compared with the patients received palliative surgery., Conclusions: TNM stage, depth of invasion, distant metastasis and option of treatment are independent prognostic factors for GSC. Early diagnosis and radical resection may play an important role in improving the prognosis of GSC.

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of recurrent gastric cancer., Methods: Clinical data of 163 patients with recurrent gastric cancer from Jan. 2001 to Jan. 2005 were reviewed. Patients were compared between those with and without symptoms., Results: Seventy-two patients(44.2%) were symptomatic, while 91(55.8%) were asymptomatic. There were significant differences in lymph node metastasis between the two groups(P<0.05). The median overall survival was significantly longer in asymptomatic patients (19.8 vs. 15.7 months, P<0.05). Post-recurrence survival was also longer in the asymptomatic group (9.5 vs. 4.8 months, P<0.01). The median recurrence-free interval in asymptomatic patients was 10.0 months, which was significantly longer than that in the symptomatic patients (9.2 months, P<0.05). On univariate survival analysis,post-gastrectomy chemotherapy (P<0.05), symptoms of recurrence(P<0.01), TNM staging(P<0.01), recurrence-free interval (P<0.01), and reoperation(P<0.01) were associated with the prognosis. On multivariable analysis, TNM staging(P<0.01), symptoms of recurrence(P<0.01), recurrence-free interval (P<0.05), and reoperation(P<0.05) were independent risk factors., Conclusions: Patients with recurrent gastric cancer have poor prognosis. Close monitoring and active follow-up of patients with gastric cancer should be conducted during the first two years after operation. Reoperation may improve survival in patients with recurrent gastric cancer.

Objective: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of lower respiratory infection in infants. It is very important to quantitative assay of RSV titer in the study on RSV pathogenesis, candidate vaccine and antiviral treatment. Therefore, we develop Real-time Quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) assay and enzyme immunospots (EIS) for titrating RSV and compare them with traditional 50% tissue culture infectious doses (TCID50)., Methods: Q-PCR, based upon the RSV-L genes, and EIS were utilized to titrate samples from RSV culture supernatants and RSV infected mouse lungs. Then, the results were compared with TCID50., Results: For the samples from RSV culture supernatants, the ratio of Q-PCR and EIS (plaque forming unit, pfu) was 10:1 and the ratio of EIS and TCID50 was 10:1 when TCID50 was converted as pfu. For the samples from RSV infected mouse lungs, the ratio of Q-PCR and EIS was 1000:1 and the ratio of EIS and TCID50 was 5:1., Conclusion: We have successfully established Q-PCR and EIS to titrate RSV and compared them with TCID50. We concluded EIS is a cost-effective method to titrate RSV.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of MTT colorimetric assay for testing the in vitro chemosensitivity of breast cancer cells to 5 fluorouracil (5-Fu)., Methods: The chemosensitivity of human breast carcinoma cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-435S to 5-Fu at different concentrations was evaluated with MTT assay., Results: 5-FU treatment resulted in dose-dependent growth inhibition of the breast cancer cells with both low and high metastatic capacities., Conclusions: MTT assay may help select appropriate chemotherapeutic agents and provides evidence for individualized chemotherapy for breast cancer.

The genetic effects of seed traits in soybean, including 100-seed weight, seed length, seed width, seed thickness, length/width, length/thickness and width/thickness, were analyzed using an incomplete diallel cross of eight varieties with its F1 and F2 populations. The results showed that the above seven traits were controlled by direct genetic effects of seed and affected to different extent of maternal and cytoplasmic effects simultaneously. Among the traits, the inheritance of 100-seed weight, seed length, length/width, length/thickness, and width/thickness were mainly controlled by cytoplasmic effects, while those of seed width and thickness were mainly by maternal effects. Both the seed direct heritabilities and the cytoplsmic heritabilities of 100-seed weight, seed length, length/width and width/thickness were medium-sized. The individual selection and seed selection of above four traits at late generation may create good results. The maternal heritabilities of seed width and thickness were pretty high. To increase these two traits, an individual maternal selection should be done at early generation. Our results showed that varieties P2 and P7 could be used as ideal parents for improvements of 100-seed weight, seed length/width, length/thickness and width/thickness, while varieties P1, P4 and P6 are the ideal parents for increasing seed length, width and thickness respectively.

Objective: To study emetic and anti-emetic effects of Rhizoma pinelliae in minks., Method: The emetic effect of raw pinellia 2 g kg(-1) (i.g.) was investigated. Three preparations of Rhizoma pinelliae (processed with ginger) were made by ethanol extraction, water extraction and water decoction respectively and their effects on emesis model induced by cisplatin (7.5 mg kg(-1), i.p.) or apomorphine (1.6 mg kg(-1), s.c.) were then studied; the effect of the decoction of ginger-processed Rhizoma pinelliae on rotation-induced emesis model in minks was also observed., Result: The emesis was induced by raw pinellia in minks (P < 0.01); ginger-processed Rhizoma pinelliae, metoclopramide and ondansetron significantly inhibit the emesis induced by cisplatin and apomorphine (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Ginger-processed Rhizoma pinelliae exhibits a anti-emetic effect in minks, which may be mediated by inhibiting the function of the vomiting center in central nervous system.

Aim: To establish a new, reliable vomiting model in minks., Methods: Adult male minks (Mustela vison) were randomly divided into groups (n = 6). Cisplatin, apomorphine, copper sulfate and X-radiation were used to establish vomiting model. Retching and vomiting were observed after the vomiting models were given anti-vomiting agents. After the behavioral experiment, assay of 5-HT in the ileum was performed by immunohistologic method., Results: Cisplatin 7.5 mg.kg-1 i.p., apomorphine 1.6 mg.kg-1 s.c. and copper sulfate 40 mg.kg-1 ig were shown to evoke vomiting. Retching and vomiting were significantly inhibited in ondansetron and metoclopramide pretreated minks (P < 0.05, P < 0.01)., Conclusion: As a new vomiting model, minks may be of great value in studying vomiting mechanism and screening new antiemetic drugs.